Michigan Football Recruiting: Michael Ferns (LB/DE) — 2014 Wolverine Verbal Commit — Profile
Posted at 1:00pm — 8/12/2012
Michigan Football Recruiting: Michael Ferns (LB/DE) — 2014 Wolverine Verbal Commit — Profile
GBMWolverine readers: Here is a brief overview of recent verbal commitment Michael Ferns from St. Clairsville High School — St. Clairsville, Ohio.
Michael Ferns
Height: 6’3
Weight: 235
Number: 10
Current Position: Athlete, Defensive End, Linebacker, Fullback
Future Position: Defensive End/Linebacker
City/State: St. Clairsville, Ohio
High School: St. Clairsville
Head Coach: Brett Mclean
Recruiter: Coach Jerry Montgomery
Committed: 8/9/2012
Top 5 other Offers: Michigan, Michigan State, Notre Dame, Ohio State, and Oklahoma.
Rankings: 24/7: 4-star … ESPN: N/A … FanSided: 4-star … Rivals: N/A … Scout: N/A.
GPA: 4.0
Class: 2014 Michigan Wolverine Recruiting Class (Verbal Commit).
St. Clairsville is a very nice, typical mid-western town; right at the edge of what most say is the east coast geographic and cultural setting. In the spring, trout fishing is a few miles away in Pennsylvania. The area is smack in the middle of the football rich western Pennsylvania and northeast Ohio area.
A few months ago, one of Ohio’s most talented juniors to be, Michael Ferns, expressed a true interest in the Michigan program. He visited and the feedback was positive. A second visit cemented his affirmation for Michigan as a final college destination to spend four or so years undergoing academics and playing Division One football.
The early summer found Michigan, PSU, and Notre Dame as early favorites as expressed in media articles. Clearly, the unfortunate PSU events may have played a factor in the recruiting decision.
Michael and his family, from media articles seem to attach a high level of importance to high character and scholarship. While Happy Valley is closer, Ann Arbor is within range of a day trip, the difference being only about 75 miles.
Michael Ferns is the type of student athlete who seems to be gravitating to the Michigan program.
Michael definitely passes the site test, in fact, big time. He is a big athlete capable of playing multiple positions. Michael pays linebacker, tailback, tight end, and slot at the high school level. Although early, the GBMWolverine staff believes Michael ends up on defense at either Sam linebacker or a defensive end, but fullback is also a definite possibility. The plain fact is Michael is very talented and athletic enough to play numerous positions on either side of the ball. Michael is a very strong student with a reported 4.0 GPA.
Strengths:
Michael combines excellent size with good speed, a combination all college coaches crave in recruits. He moves his feet very well and plays with acceptable pad level. As one would expect with the multiple positions Michael plays, he does not shy away from contact, either tackling or blocking.
Concerns:
There are a few concerns to be addressed. First, Michael is a bit stiff and will need to loosen up. Second, his feet tend to go dead on contact. And finally, Michael plays at a lower level of competition. Regarding these concerns: There are advanced flexibility programs that can overcome this stiffness.
Michael will be taught to drive through the ball. And playing smaller competition, compared to say a Jake Ryan or Joe Bolden, may place Michael in a situation where he would benefit greatly from early admission.
Both linebacker and defensive end will have depth by the time Michael arrives in Ann Arbor. There will be ample time for Michael to develop and learn the system. When a high level talent needs a little time to catch up, this is called the tadpole effect. Give a talented guy a little time to adjust to the competition and the speed of the game at the college level, and he typically will.
Final Thoughts:
Michigan is getting a very important commit in Michael Ferns. The next two years will determine how much more he improves and physically develops. The future is very bright in all regards for this young prospect, and Michigan fans should be very proud that a player of this talent, scholarship, and character has declared to play in Ann Arbor. First recruits in a class make first impressions.
We welcome Michael Ferns to Michigan and hope he has a successful career on and off the football field as a student-athlete at the University of Michigan. Go Blue!
Red-shirt or play his Freshman Year?
GBMWolverine believes he will likely red-shirt his first year. There will be no need to rush Michael into playing time, but a great athlete can earn special teams time.
Michael Ferns reminds the GBMWolverine Staff of — Former Michigan Football Player — Larry Stevens — who played Defensive End.
Highlight Videos:
Sophomore Highlights
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Written by GBMWolverine Staff
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